Plan to Enhance Women's Status
Nationwide campaign launched
Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, addresses a press conference on the occasion of the launching of a three-year campaign for women at Jatiya Press Club yesterday. On her left is Rina Roy and on her right are Reza Chowdhury and Munira Rahman.Photo: STAR
Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), its 113 partner organisations, and the women and children affairs ministry jointly launched a three-year campaign yesterday, aiming to establish recognition of women's contributions for enhancing their status and dignity at familial, societal and national level. The nationwide "Let's build equality with dignity" campaign includes public awareness programmes, research on women's contributions in economic and household activities, advocacy for recognition of their contributions and inclusion of the contributions' numerical value in GDP. All district and upazila directorates under the ministry will work with MJF to bring a positive change in the attitude of family, society and state towards women. On the occasion of the launch, MJF Executive Director Shaheen Anam told a press conference at Jatiya Press Club that the country's women still faced discriminations and violence despite their countless achievements. “Women's status is lower than men's, although no reasons exist for that. In this era, women are contributing in all sectors, but due to lack of evaluation, they don't have any recognition”. Shaheen Anam said they would conduct the campaign in cooperation with the government, other women organisations, MJF partner organisations, a well-known think tank, and a communication agency. A reputed research organisation will work out women's contributions and their financial value, she said, adding that they would also carry out a baseline survey to learn the current status of women and another research three years later to gauge the impacts of the campaign. Television shows, radio programmes, and street dramas will be organised to inform people of women's contributions, the MJF executive director said. Presenting the concept paper, Rina Roy, director (rights) of MJF, said that although women had been contributing to national development through their participation in economic and non-economic activities, their contributions were never measured or recognised. Citing a research of noted economist Dr Abul Barkat, she said that as per government data, women contribute 20 percent to GDP, but the estimated value of household activities that women do would be worth Tk 2.5 trillion, accounting for 48 percent of GDP. She also said the state had not recognised the fact that rural women contributed 77 percent in agricultural activities. "If women's contributions are evaluated financially, their dignity would be established in family, society and state”. According to the concept paper, women do 15 times more household works than men, while each woman earns a yearly $700, which is two times the per capita income of the country. Moreover, around 1.82 lakh women are working legally across the world, it said. Dr Ananya Raihan, executive director of D.Net, and Munira Rahman, executive director of Acid Survivor Foundation (ASF), among others, spoke at the conference. Meanwhile, the campaign was launched in six divisional cities through separate press conferences, reported our correspondents from Khulna, Chittagong, Barisal, Rangpur, Sylhet, and Rajshahi. A similar press conference was also held at Rangamati District Sports Association for the three districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts. At the press conference at Khulna Press Club, the speakers called for a change in the attitude towards women and recognise their contributions at every level. In Rajshahi, speakers told the press conference at Chambers of Commerce Bhaban auditorium that women played a very important role in family, society and as well as in the country, but they never received the recognition they deserved. Similar press conference was held at Chittagong Press Club in the port city, at Celebration Point in Barisal city, at Afod Training Centre in Rangpur city, and at a hotel in Sylhet city.
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